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About the Picture

Now and then, the picture in my header will probably change. I'll comment on how I think the picture relates to ELT here. Sometimes it's a stretch!

5/21/14:

I guess I'm fixated on reflections! That's appropriate because this blog is a reflective practice. Learners and I recently went on a walk to look at several sculptures near the library where we meet. This sculpture, called "Gift of the Winds" by Joseph C. Bailey thoroughly engaged us all. We not only liked the mirror-like finish, but the fact that the sculpture became different objects depending on the angle at which it was viewed. A leaf, a bird in flight, a sailing ship, a butterfly ... and other creative ideas ...

7/21/13:

This is a detail from one of about a billion pictures I took while hiking at Ricketts Glen State Park a few weeks ago. Like the marbles picture, what fascinates me is the question of what I actually "see" here. Is it the stones and stick on the bottom of the stream, the shadows, the ripples, the reflections, the bubbles? What do I "see" in the learners? What do they "see" in me?

9/22/12:

This is from a sculpture, "An Auspicious Find" by Lori Sobkowich, in Prince's Island Park, Calgary. There are thousands of marbles which, when you step back, produce images of natural objects in a sort of stained-glass effect. However, I enjoyed the abstract experience of standing close and appreciating the light shining through the individual marbles. As I stood there, I noticed that each marble included a small reflection of me, too. And each reflection was unique.

1/29/12:

My Chinese and Korean students are celebrating the beginning of a new lunar year, the Year of the Dragon. This picture was taken at the library where my high-intermediate group meets. The dragon was made by local school children. I especially love the use of the feathers for steam!

I took this picture in South Philly. Here's a "regular guy" turning the corner to find something totally unexpected and creative. It looks like a door to a magical place. Wouldn't it be great if students had such an experience through their English classes?

Let's go where we need to!

"Language is socially constructed. Language use, social roles, language learning, and conscious experience are all socially situated, negotiated, scaffolded, and guided. They emerge in the dynamic play of social intercourse." -- Ellis, Larsen-Freeman, 2006 (PDF)

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What's Dogme?

It's also known as Teaching Unplugged. See the Wikipedia entry for a brief history. Experimenting with these ideas, I learned to be brave enough to follow my instincts and rely on the learners more than on materials to determine how a lesson progresses.